Kinship Carers Victoria podcast series

KCV Podcast - The rights of the child

Kinship carers play a vital role in nurturing children and young people who cannot live with their parents. Every child deserves to grow up in a loving and culturally connected home – and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child helps make sure of this. Australia has committing to upholding children’s rights. What does this mean for kinship carers? How do these international principles connect to the laws and systems that carers deal with every day?

In this podcast we speak with lawyer Fleur Ward, special counsel at Coulter Legal, and her colleague lawyer Molly Quinlan, who explore how the rights of the child apply in Victoria and show how knowing these rights can empower carers to advocate for the children in their care.

KCV PODCAST - LOOKOUT Centres supporting kinship carers

For many kinship carers, one of the biggest challenges is supporting a child’s education. Navigating enrolments, dealing with schools or early childhood services, managing tricky transitions and making sure the right supports are in place can feel overwhelming.

In this episode, we speak with Murray Geddes, Executive Principal of the South-East Victoria LOOKOUT Centre. LOOKOUT Centres were established by the Victorian Government to improve educational outcomes for children and young people in out-of-home care.

Murray explains how the centres work and what support they can offer kinship carers.

KCV PODCAST - Navigating Difficult Conversations

Kinship carers sometimes find themselves in complex situations. Consequently, they might be involved in challenging conversations with schools, case managers, family members and the children in their care. Knowing how to handle these conversations calmly and effectively is a key to making sure a child’s needs are understood and that carers feel respected, supported and empowered. 

In this episode KCV speaks with educator and wellbeing consultant Megan Corcoran, Director of the Wagtail Institute, about how kinship carers can approach difficult conversations with clarity and confidence. Megan brings expertise and lived understanding to her work in education, psychology and emotional safety and has a deep understanding of the pressures kinship carers face.

KCV Podcast - Liana Buchanan. A legacy of advocacy for children and young people

Liana Buchanan has been a tireless advocate for children and young people. Appointed Principal Commissioner for the Commission for Children and Young People in Victoria in 2016, Liana was responsible for key initiatives like the Reportable Conduct Scheme and Child Safe Standards.

In March 2025 she was appointed Deputy Commissioner of the Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC).

On her last day as Children's Commissioner, Liana spoke with KCV about the work of kinship carers and about the challenges and successes in her nine years in the role.

KCV Podcast - New rules governing the CIMS

The Client Incident Management System (CIMS) is the program that investigates reports of incidents made against carers who may have mistreated children in their care.  There are reports made against kinship carers, but this does not happen very often.  Over the years, KCV has witnessed some serious breaches of carers' rights, particularly when a report is not upheld. Carers and children have been seriously affected by the unfairness of the processes over the years and are not compensated for years of trauma when a report is not upheld.
 
In this podcast, lawyer Fleur Ward talks about how the DFFH has undertaken a review of CIMS procedures and has released a new set of guidelines. Carers need to be aware that it is quite easy for a report to be made and that if one is made, they need to listen to this podcast and contact their support agency immediately.

KCV Podcast - Physical punishment is harmful to Australian children

Evidence indicates that physical punishment can lead to increased anxiety or depression in adulthood, and the likelihood of people engaging in violence in later life.
There are alternative effective discipline practices that don't involve physical punishment. These evidence-based practices can help increase children's understanding of why they are being helped to recognise that certain behaviours are not desirable.
Sixty-six countries have legislated against the use of physical punishment on children and a further 27 countries have committed to doing so. Why is Australia not one of them? 

In this podcast we speak with Professor Daryl Higgins, director of the Institute of Child Protection Studies at Australian Catholic University (ACU) and member of Ending Physical Punishment of Australian Children (EPPAC) advocacy campaign.

KCV Podcast - Understanding and embracing autism and neurodiversity in children and young people

In this podcast, KCV speaks with researcher, writer and educator Dr Emma Goodall, the inaugural Director of South Australia’s Office for Autism. Dr Goodall, who is the parent of an autistic adult, has worked extensively in the area of autism, education, research and public policy, and teacher training.

Dr Goodall defines autism and neurodiversity, explains how autism can present differently in different genders, and outlines key things carers need to understand about neurodivergence in order to better support the children and young people in their care. She also offers some approaches to help autistic and neurodiverse children develop the skills to self –regulate their feelings and emotions to help with everyday tasks and situations.

KCV Podcast - Combatting Loneliness

The effects of loneliness have been studied extensively worldwide, with experts agreeing on the importance of social interaction for our wellbeing.
The research shows that being socially isolated or lonely is as bad for your health as smoking, obesity, substance abuse and other mental health issues.
In previous studies by Kinship Carers Victoria, some carers have described feeling almost complete isolation from their former social circles once they became carers.

In this podcast, KCV speaks with clinical psychologist Dr Michelle Lim, considered the leading Australian scientific expert on loneliness.

Dr Lim discusses the physical and psychological effects of loneliness, the stigma around speaking about it and what carers can do to deal with their own social isolation.
She mentions solutions such as community programs and also talks about what she would like to see governments do about this widespread social issue.